Soil sterilizing apparatus



Oct. 6, 1931. YOUNG 1,826,232

I SOIL STERILIZING APPARATUS Filed April 11, 1929 llllHHl Patented Oct.6, 1931 PATENT OFFICE AMPS IE. YOUNG, OF CAVE CITY, KENTUCKY SOILSTERILIZING APPARATUS I i Application filed April 11,

My invention has to do with the treatment of the soil by the applicationof heat to destroy or rid it of weeds or other life that isobjectionable in the cultivation or use of the soil for beneficentpurposes. My object stated generally is to provide a portable furnace ofsuch construction that it will most efiiciently subject the ground tothe desired sterilizing heat, be capable of handling or manipulationwith the minimum of effort or power, will be inexpensive of constructionand economical in operation, and which will have with the minimum ofmaterial all necessary strength and rigidity to withstand the more orless hard treatment unavoidable with such an apparatus;

My invention consists in whatever is de scribed by or is included withinthe terms or scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a erspective view of a portable furnaceembodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section from front to rear;

Fig. 3 is a detail View in rear elevation of one of the carrying wheelsand associated parts;

Fig. 4 is a detail view in transverse section on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Giving a brief or general description to facilitate the detaildescription which follows, my apparatus comprises a grate for fuel and atent-like casing with downwardly inclined walls which meet in a ridge orapex above the grate which confine the products of combus-' tion andcause them to descend to points in opposite directions close to theground, and then pass upward and outward through flues which lead to achimney or stack on the ridge o-r apex, the necessary draft to supportcombustion being thus provided and the products of combustion being keptfor a prolonged period within the casing and thus most advantageouslyused for their heat-imparting effect upon the soil. The apparatusisreadily portable so that it may be shifted from place to place in thetreatment of the soil and for transportation generally and, to this end,it is provided with carrying wheels and means for 1929. Serial No.354,311.

connecting it to the back or tail of a wagon or other propelling means.

Describing now in detail what is shown in the drawings, the tent-likecasing includes two triangular side walls, 10, between the upper edgesof which extend the opposite downwardly and outwardly inclined top orroof members, each composed of a plurality of side by side lines, 11,open throughout their length from top to bottom and at their top joinedto a vertical chimney or stack, 12.

The fiues, 11, may be made in any desired way, but an advantageousconstruction is shown in the drawings in which each is a unit composedof a flat base or bottom plate, 13, and a partly cylindric top plate,14, the two plates lapping at their edges and being riveted together andeach plate at its edge having a fold to interlock and be joined with thecorresponding formation of the adjoining flue, and the fold or overlapsriveted together. It will be evident that this makes an inexpensive andyet strong and rigid construction so that the roof mem ers are of greatstrength and stiffness and yet are light in weight. At 7 the bottom thetop plate of each flue is bent downward to provide a guard or partialclosure across the lower end of the flue to assure that there will'be nosubstantial escape of gases or products of combustion at the bottom.

The fuel grate, 15, extends from one side wall inward from a dooropening in that side wall which is closed by a door, 16, that may moveoutward and upward when necessary to open it, but which normally remainsin a closed position. The grate is supported ,a a short distance abovethe ground by several rods or wires, 17, that are attached at theirupper ends to the undersideof the roof and incline inward and downwardon both sides of the grate and are attached at their lower ends to thegrate. The bottom of the door is spaced several inches above the bottomedge of the end wall in order to clear the ground and also to provide adraft opening.

The end walls, roof and chimney or stack are preferably made of sheetmetal and, of course, at the edges and other points where necessarystiffening or reinforcing bars are secured.

To the two side walls there are secured at a level at or just above thetop of the door the two side bars, 18, of a light frame work, preferablymade of angle iron. These side bars are extended forward and backwardbeyond the side "walls and at what may he considered the front of theapparatus, they are brought together or converged and united at theirfront ends and provided with a clevis or hook or means for attachment tothe rear end of awagon or other transporting device, and said convergedand united ends may serve as a handle for such pullingor othermanipulation of the apparatus as may be necessary. Brace bars, 19,extend from the forward edge of the roof member upward to the horizontalbai s,', 1S.

Thebars,l8, where they extend rearward beyond the side wallsare bentsharply downward in' a straight line and pass over a horizontal axle,20, upon which their forward downwardly and rearwardly inclined edgesrest, said axle having at each end just rear of each side plate atransporting wheel, 21, which turns loosely on the axle, so that theaxlewill not turn as the wheels revolve and so that the axle may herevolved i1 1dependent 1y of the wheels to serve as a windlass. fit oneend (or both if desired), the axle beyond the wheel has ,acrank, 9,2, bywhich it may be revolved by hand for the winding on or unwindingtherefrom of a' length of chain, 23, so that when one end of the chain,as by means of a hook, 2a, is ei'i'gaged with the bottomedge ofthe roof,the bottom of the apparatus may be raised sufficiently high to whollyclear the ground at such times as the apparatus is to be transportedfrom place to place, the apparatus at the front being raisedsufficiently high by means of the joined forward ends of the horizontalframe bars, 18. The chain is secured to the axle between its ends sothat both ends of the chain'are free, one, however, being shorter thanthe other and provided also with a hook, 25, which when the longerlength having the other hook is wound upon the axle to lift theapparatus from the ground, may be engaged withia convenient link of thechain and thereby the chain prevented from unwinding. As the shaft oraxle is forward of the rear edge of the apparatus, the chains extenddownward and rearward and they thus serve to hold the downwardlyinclined portions of the horizontal frame bars, 18, and the axletogether without the necessity of any other securing or attaching means.To prevent lateral displacement by longitudinal shifting of the axle,the axle has on opposite sides of said downwardly and rear\ ardlyinclined part of the frame bars, 18, washers or collars 26.

Of course, the roof members may have the form of a curved arch in whichcase it might be advantageous to differently construct or form thefines. The flues, in effect, it will be seen, make a double-walledconstruction.

It will be seen that my construction is such that the heat generated bythe burnii'ig fuel is conserved and utilized to the maximum. Theinterior of the lines, 11, is subject to heat by radiation from theinner walls and thereby it promotes the draft through the fines to thestack; And there is the minimum of loss of heat by convection. Theparticular structure shown secures to the utmost the most advantageoususe of the heat, but varia tions therefrom may be resorted to which,while not so advantageous, will nevertheless embody the principles of myinvention and to the extent of utilizing the heat generated.advantageously. It will be seen that an important feature of myinvention is utilizing tae radiant heat to heat the air within the finesto promote a d 'aft which will carry the heated products of combustionto the soil and, of course, by different fiues or stack arrangen'ients,this result can be achieved.

What I Claim is 2- l. Soil sterilizing apparatus comprising means forholding fuel while burning and an enclosing casing for said means openat the bottom for the application of heat to the ground within thecasing, the whole being portable, said asing including a roof withdouble walls providing a space that opens into and extends from thebotton'i of the casing upward and communicating with the external air atthe top.

2. Soil sterilizing apparatus comprising means for holding fuel whileburning and an enclosing casing for said meais open at the bottom forthe application of heat to the ground within the casing, the whole beingportable, said casing including a roof portion composed of a pluralityof connected lateral. fines, that extend from the bottom upward and areopen at bottom and top to the interior and exterior of the casingrespectively.

3. Soil sterilizing apparatus comprising a casing within which is a fuelsu 'iportii'ig means, said casing being open at the bottom to giveaccess of heat generated to the ground, a supporting. frame connectedwith said casing and including bars that project from the sides there f,an axle extemling crosswise of the casing and upon which said bars rest,and wheels loosely mounted upon said axle adapted to support one end ofthe casing.

4-. Soil sterilizing apparatus comprising a casing within which is afuel supporting means, said casing being open at the bottom to giveaccess of heat generated to the ground, a SUPDOltlllg frame connectedwith said casing and including bars that project from the sides thereof,an axle extending crosswise of the casing and upon which said bars rest,and wheels upon said axle adapted to support one end of the casing,means for rotating said axle and flexible means con neoted with the axleadapted to be wound and unwound thereon by the revolution of the axleand means for connecting said flexible means with said casing.

5. A soil sterilizing furnace having a casing composed of triangularsides and flueform roof members arranged between said sides andextending from the bottom to the apex of the casing, the finescommunlcatingi with the interior of the casing at the bottom and withthe exterior at the apex.

6. A soil sterilizing furnace having a casing' composed of triangularsides and flueform roof members arranged between said sides andextending from the bottom to the apex of the casing, the finescommunicating with the interior of the casing at the bottom and with theexterior at the apex, and the fines consisting of similar units joinededge to edge.

7. Soil sterilizing apparatus comprising means for holding fuel whileburning and an enclosing casing for said means open at the bottom forthe application of heat to the ground within the casing, the whole beingportable, and members within the casing defining a flue passage leadingfrom the lower part of the interior upward and discharging at theuppermost part of said casing.

8. Soil sterilizing apparatus comprising means for holding fuel whileburning and an enclosing casing for said means open at the bottom forthe application of heat to the ground within the casing, the whole beingportable and members within the casing defining a flue passage leadingfrom the lower part of the interior upward and discharging at theuppermost part of said casing, the flue wall within being exposed toradiant heat.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature. I

AMPS P. YOUNG.

